School Visits and P&G Visit

REFLECTIONS ON SCHOOL VISITS

Some specific items observed that could be worth pursuing
Chilled Beam HVAC - - quieter and may be cost effective

Angled ceilings in classrooms to enhance natural lighting

Many, many windows

Furniture on wheels

Modular and moveable teacher work stations/desks

Built in benches in hallways to allow students a place to interact

Unusually angled walls - seemed to create a non-institutional feeling

Central courtyard - provided a secure place for gathering and a potential site for botanical investigation

Separate storage room in between and connecting science labs

Baffled lighting in the ceiling in computer labs - gives softer light and may work better for special  
      needs students

Clark had a magnetic interactive board on a classroom white board.  I think it was moveable. This
    might be a nice alternative to the permanently installed SmartBoards.

Moveable dividers that could easily separate classrooms into smaller spaces

Classroom furniture beyond just desks - benches, individual chairs, stools- and space to use them

Countertops in classrooms with storage underneath - used to display/store student projects and I
   noticed students working at them with their computers while sitting on stools

Fitness center adjacent to the gym

Parking lot with paver bricks that allows the rainwater to drain through

Retaining wall made up of recycled materials from the old school building

Sun shades on the outside of the windows at Taft could provide a break on AC costs

Outdoor patio/area for students to gather or eat lunch - also can become a collaboration space

Television/computer monitors in hallways and lunch room supplied announcements and would be
       a great opporunity for students to create messages for an authentic audience

Round tables in the cafeteria also allow for collaboration


Other observations about the schools
No bulletin boards outside of classroom doors meant the teachers were taping up flyers on the walls
    next to the doors. 

No prep tables in the science lab storage rooms meant teachers created their own prep tables out of
    boxes

The architect at Taft said that solar energy was not really cost effective in this area because the
   payback on the panels didn't occur until after the usual life span of the panels

I didn't see small meeting rooms or many conference rooms that would allow students to meet with
   mentors or to work individually with support staff or to work on projects in a quiet area

I also didn't notice any sites that would support videography, such as plain background spaces to interview someone while making a video, or a place with additional lighting, or a place to create a podcast. Trying to create a video in the classroom may have lots of lighting and noise issues.

The living roof spaces didn't appear to offer much opportunity for use as outdoor learning labs. That
   seemed to be a lost opportunity.

Restoring the historical elements at Hughes gave it a sense of being unique and special.  I can see
   where this would cause those who have attended the school previously to continue to feel
   connected and proud of the school.  This is not just another nondescript school that could be
   located anywhere, it is part of what makes Hughes High School what it is and a standout.

REFLECTIONS ON P&G VISIT
Having a separate space available for collaboration is essential

Flexible spaces and different size spaces are key components that allow for flexible groupings

Think about your problem as an analogy.  Who else has solved your problem and how?

I also liked the "Innovator's DNA" article which said that innovators are strong at:
  Associating, Questioning, Observing, Experimenting and Networking.  How do we physically
  create spaces that allow for that in the schools?

Strong soft skills are what set apart exemplary job applicants.  How can we enhance students'
  ability to lead, to work together and to learn to deal with delayed gratification?

I think Paul gave a stellar piece of advice when he said that we need to know our own culture in order
  to determine what will work for us.  While we can and should use ideas from other fields outside of
  education, we need to adapt them to work in our unique culture.  As teachers, our consumers are
  sitting in front of us in our classrooms every day and they have a need to have a personal
  connection with us.   Just as P&G created that entire house inside of  an office park so that their consumers would feel comfortable using their products in a somewhat natural environment, so do we need to create an environment in which our students feel comfortable, an environment that feels
natural.  However, schools are also employers and we also must keep in mind that the staff has to feel comfortable in their working environment, too, in order to do their job well.  Since teaching is a job that requires extensive and individual relationship building daily, we need to make sure that we create an environment that doesn't come across as impersonal or sterile for the students or the staff.